IRC History

• 1978:  Federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act initiates deregulation.
  
  
• 1992:  National Energy Policy Act expands boundaries for competing companies.
  
  
• Mid-90s:  Many North American regions push for wholesale competition as a way to create equal access to the transmission system and provide consumers with a choice of energy suppliers.
  
  
• 1996:  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues Orders 888 and 889 opening access to transmission power grids.
  
  
• 1998:  The first independent grid operators began opening doors to electricity competition.
  
  
• 2003:  ISOs and RTOs join forces to create an industry-wide collaboration called the ISO/RTO Council (IRC).
  
  
• Today:  Nine ISOs/RTOs serve two-thirds of electricity consumers in the United States and more than 50 percent of Canada's population. Using the most advanced technologies and industry practices, IRC regional markets consistently outperform those in areas under monopoly control.